Method of and means for fastening down rails



March 31, 1931. M. RUPING' 1,798,357

METHOD OF AND MEANS FOR FASTENING DOWN RAILS Filed July 25. 1929 3Sheets-Sheet 1 5:3- Fig.7

Fig.5 E E -39 Inventor:

March 31, 1931. M. RUPING 1,798,357

METHOD OF AND MEANS FOR FASTENING DOWN RAILS Filed July 25, 1929 3Sheets-Shawv 2 March 31, 1931.

M. RUPING 1,798,357

METHOD OF AND MEANS FOR FASTENING DOWN RAILS Filed July 25, 1929 3Sheets-Sheet 5 Inventor:

Rapmq Patented Mar. 31, 1931 UNITED STATES max minute, or MUNICH,GERMANY METHOD OF AND MEAN FOR FASTENING DOWN RAILS Application filedJuly 25, 1929, Serial No. 381,005, and in Germany September 4, 1928.

The invention relates to a method of and means for fastening rails bymeans of plate springs which press down upon the foot of the rail.

15 It is now customary in rail fastenings of this kind to stress thesprings by directly or indirectl'f pressing them down by screws,nailsand the like; or the springs are in the form of a wedge and areforced. by heavy blows underneath the holders which are secured to thesleeper. These methods have failed to produce a serviceable railfastening on which reliance could be placed.

The method of the invention differs from the foregoing in that thesprings are stressed by a screw-press or other tool independently of therail fastening itself and they are thus held until the holders areapplied or until the springs are in the proper positions relatively tothe holders, whereupon the springs are released sufiicientl'y to allowthem to press against the holders. The tool is then ,removed.

Various forms of the rail fastening according to the invention and ofthe tool employed for stressing the springs, are illustrated in theaccompanying drawings, in which:

Figures 1 and 2 are respectively,,a crosssectional elevation and a planof half of a.

Figure 66; being an end view on a larger scale of the key usedtherewith.

sectional elevation and a plan of half a rail and of a fourth form ofrail-fastener accord-' ing to the invention.

Figure 10 is a cross-sectional elevatlonof according to the invention.

Figures 8 and 9 are respectively, a crosshalf a rail and of a fifth formof rail fastener Figures 11 and 12 are respectively, a crosssectionalelevation and a plan of half a rail and of a sixth form of rail-fasteneraccording to the invention.

Figure 13 is aside view of a part of a rail 58 and of a seventh form ofrail-fastener according to the invention,

Figure 14 being a corresponding plan with the rail in section onXIV-XIV, Figure 13.

Figures 15 and 16 are side views of parts of rails and of two furtherforms of railfastener according to the invention.

Figures 17 and 18 show an end and side elevation'illustrating part of arail in a chair fitted with plate springs and of one form of toolemployed for stressing the plate springs, according to the invention.

All forms of the rail fastener illustrated, with the exception of thatshown in Figure 10, have plate springs 1 of the triangular form shown inFigures 3 and 4, placed upon the foot 2 of the rail 3, so that thesomewhat blunt apex of the triangular spring presses against the web 3of the rail and the longest edge or the base rests upon the edge of thefoot 2 of the rail.

In the forms shown in Figures 1 and 2, the base 4 of the chair orfastener is provided with a hook shaped rib 5. When the triangularspring 1 is not stressed, that is to say, before use, it is bow-shapedas indicated in Figure 4. It is first laid upon the foot of the rail andthen stressed by means of a screwpress or tool such as that hereinafterdescribed, that is to say, it is pressed down upon the foot 2 of therail. A clip 6, which is Z-shaped in cross-section, is then insertedbetween the hook shaped rib 5 and the foot 2,

so that its lower flange 6a engages under the rib 5, and its upperflange 6b engagesover the stressed spring 1.

The clip 6 being now in position, the stressed spring is slightlyreleased by the tool hereinafter described so that it presses againstthe upper flange 6b of the clip 6. .95 Thereupon the tool which has beenemployed for stressing the" spring is removed and the rail fastening iscomplete. The foot 2 of the rail is now gripped by the s ring 1 betweenthe clip 6 and the base 4 o the chair, and

cannot be freed until suliicient pressure is applied to the spring 1 torelease the pressure on the clip 6 to enable it to be withdrawn, thusnecessitating a tool such as that hereinafter referred to.

The preferred form of tool for stressing the spring 1 illustrated inFigures 17 and 18, comprises a screw threaded spindle 7, which passesthrough an internally screw threaded boss or nut formed on a cross-head8 and has its lower end connected to a U-shaped pressure member 10, sothat it can rotate relatively to said member, but cannot move axiallywith respect thereto, for example, by means of a U-shaped locking pin 9inserted in holes in the boss 10a of the pressure member and into agroove 11 in the end of the spindle 7. The hole 13 in the boss 10a has aspherical bottom and the end of the spindle 7 is correspondingly shaped.Anchoring members or gripper arms 14 are pivoted to the crosshead 8 bythe pins 15. An operating lever 19 is mounted freely on the end of thespindle 7 and has a ratchet toothed clutch member 206 for co-operativeengagement with a ratchet toothed clutch member 20a on the spindle 7.

The lever 19 is rigidly secured to the upper part 205 with which it canbe rotated and is axially movable on the upper cylindrical part of screwspindle 7, so that when this is rotated to the left, the teeth of theclutch members 20a, 205 can move one on the other, the upper part 20?),moving upwards, whereas when rotated to the right, the lower part istaken round by the upper. The upward axial movement is limited by anenlargement 7a.

The operating lever 19 has a key 21, pivoted to it which can be placedin between the upper shoulder 7 a of the screw spindle 7, and the upperclutch member 201), so as to lock the lever to the spindle in order toenable the spindle to be unscrewed to remove the member 10 from theplate springs 1.

The tool is used in the following manner:

The screw spindle 7 is first unscrewed until it has reached itsuppermost position, so that the gripper arms 14 are down in theirlowermost position. The springs 1 havin been laid upon foot 2 of therail, the U-shape pressure member 10 is lowered over the head of therail 22' and the web 3 of the rail, so that the lower ends of the armsof the pressure member 10 reach the springs 1, thelower rounded ends ofthe arms 14 of the gripper passing over the adjacent portions 24a of theribs 24 of the chair base plate 4. When they have passed the projections24a on the ribs, the members 14 fall inwards, so that they engage belowthe head of the rail. The screw spindle 7 is then rotated by means ofthe operating lever 19, so that the gripper arms 14 firmly engage withor are anchored by the projections 24a and consequently the pressuremember 10 is pressed against the springs 1, so that the latter arestressed or pressed fiat against the foot 2 of the rail and thereuponthe means for locking the springs, for example, the above describedclips 6, are placed in position. The key 21 is then inserted and thescrew spindle 7 is unscrewed so that the springs 1 arch until they pressagainst the key. The fastening of the rail is thus completed.

The springs 1 are released in similar manner.

The form illustrated in Figure 5 differs substantially from thatillustrated in Figures 1 and 2, in that a rib 23 is provided 011 thebase plate 4 between the clip 6 and the foot 2 of the rail. The rib 23determines the p0sition of the rail and provides a good grip for theclip 6.

A particularly satisfactory form is that illustrated in Figure 6,wherein ribs 24 are provided on the chair base 4 on both sides of thefoot of the rail, against which ribs the foot of the rail as well as theouter edges of the springs 1 can bear.

Each rib 24 is provided with a slot 25. Each spring 1 is pressed down bythe tool hereinbefore described, flat upon the foot of the rail,whereupon the upper arm of an angular clip 26 is inserted into the slot25, the end 26aof the clip 26 being slightly diverted upwardly andthickened. The uppermost point of the spring is then about 3 mm. lowerthan shown in Figure 6. Immediately the spring is released sufiicientlyto allow it to press against the clip 26, the diverted end 26a of theclip 26 prevents the latter from retiring through the slot. Thedownwardly pointing arm 26b of the clip 26 presses against the rib 24and also upon the base 4 and thus provides a grip for the clip.

As will be seen from Figure 7, the ends 1a of each spring 1 may beturned down so that they curve around the adjacent rib 24. The spring isthus prevented from moving sideways, although there is no such movementin practice because the spring is so firmly held. For the same purpose,namely, to prevent lateral movement, the support for the end of the clip26 which engages over the spring may be slightly hollow, that is, shapedto conform to and snugly fit the arched upper point of the spring.

In the forms shown in Figures 8 and 9, ribs 27 are provided onthe chairbase plate 4,

near the foot of the rail, and each of these ribs is provided directlyabove the base with a slot 28. Into this slot is inserted the lower arm29?) of a substantially U-shaped clip 29, the upper arm 29a lying uponthe spring 1.

The form shown in Figure 10 is merely to demonstrate that it is possibleto dispose the spring directly on the chair base plate, and not on thefoot of the rail as in the forms previously described, that is to say,to place it outside the rib 30 of the base 4. The clip 1 CPI or plate31, which holds the spring 1 is passed through a slot 32 in the rib 30,so that the outer end of the plate 31 is pressed by the spring 1upwards, whereas the inner end 31a is pressed downwards upon the foot ofthe rail.

In the form shown in Figures 11 and 12, a hook-shaped clamping plate orclip 33 is secured to the wooden cross tie or sleeper 36 by means of thescrew 34. A tubular extension 35 of the hooked plate or clip 33 pene- Inthe form shown in Figures 13 and 14.

after the spring 1, having been stressed by means of the toolhereinbefore described, the nails 38 are driven in and the spring isallowed to press against the heads of the nails and the foot of the railby loosening the tool. It will be obvious that screws may be employed inplace of the nails 38.

In the forms shown in Figures 15 and 16, only one nail or screw 38 isused respectively for each spring 1. Thus, unlike the constructionaccording to Figures 13 and 14, the spring 1 is in each case insertedwith the arch upwards.

In all the forms hereinbefore described, a thin layer of wood or packingstrip 39 is inserted in the usual manner under the foot of the rail.

I claim:

1. A rail fastener comprising a base provided with ribs for thereception of a rail foot between them, arched plate springs adapted tobe laid on the rail foot and to be stressed by a screw press or liketool and clips adapted to be inserted between said ribs and said platesprings while the latter are stressed and to be locked with said ribswhen said springs are released by the screw-press, substantially as andfor the purpose hereinbefore setforth.

2. A rail fastener comprising a base provided with ribs for thereception of a rail foot between them, arched plate springs to be placedon the rail foot, clips adapted to be placed in interlocking connectionwith said ribs, while said plate springs are stressed to engage withsaid clip when said springs are released substantially as and for thepurposes hereinbefore set forth.

3. A rail fastener comprising a base provided with ribs for the recepton of a rail foot between them; arched plate springs to be laid on saidrail foot and to be stressed,

clips adapted to interlock with said ribs and extend over said springswhen said springs are stressed; and also to engage with said springswhen said springs are released, and means for preventing longitudinaldisplacement of said springs, substantially as hereinbefore set forth. v

4. A rail fastener comprisinga base provided with Iibs for the receptionof a rail foot between them, arched plate springs of substantiallytriangular shape adapted to be laid on said rail foot with their apicesagainst the rail web and their longer edges against.

said ribs and clips adapted to interlock with said ribs and to extendover said springs when said springs are stressed and to hold saidsprings when said springs are released substantially as hereinbefore setforth.

5. Rail fastenings comprising plate springs adapted to lie on the railfoot and holders for the plate springs engaging over the rail foot, saidplate spring being preferably arched in the longitudinal direction ofthe rail and having a width approximately equal to the width of one sideof the rail foot.

6. Rail fastening-according to claim 5, said plate spring tapering inthe longitudinal direction of the rail toward both ends and bearingpreferably at its largest cross-section against an abutment.

7. Rail fastening according to claim 5, said spring holders beingunadjustable in the direction of the spring action.

8. Rail fastening according to claim 5, in-

cluding a rail chair, a rib on said rail chair on each side of the railwith said rib serving directly as abutment for the rail foot and for thespring, said rib being provided with a slot, said holder beingpreferably angularly shaped and provided with an arm engaging with itsends over the springs through said slot. 1

a 9. Rail fastening according to claim 5, including a rail chair, a ribon said rail chair on each side of the rail with said rib servingdirectly as abutment for the rail foot and for the spring, said ribbeing provided with a slot, said holder beingpreferably angularly shapedand provided with an arm engaging with its ends over the spring, the endof the holder arm engaging over the spring being and extending bentobliquely upwards and extending through said slot, the plate beingsecured against displacement transversely to the rail on one side by therail web and on the other side by said rib on the chair.

11. Method of fastening rails to their support by means of stressedplate springs which lie on the rail foot and are stressed by a specialstressing tool by depressing said springs on the rail foot and are heldin this stressed condition by spring holders engaging over the railfoot, said stressing tool exerting the pressure over the rail foot onthe plate springs when stressing the springs.

12. Rail fastenings comprising plate springs adapted to lie on the railfoot and holders for the plate springs engaging over the rail foot, anabutment, said plate spring tapering in the longitudinal direction ofthe rail toward both ends and bearing preferably at its largestcross-section against said abutment.

13. Rail fastenings comprising plate springs adapted to lie on the railfoot and holders for the plate springs engaging over the rail foot, saidspring holders being inadjustable inthe direction of the spring action.

14:. Rail fastening according to claim 5, including a rail support, arib on said rail support on each side of the rail with said rib servingdirectly as abutment for the rail foot and for the spring, said ribbeing provided with a slot, said holder being preferably angularlyshaped and provided with an arm engaging with its ends over the springthrough said slot.

15. Rail fastening according to claim 13, including a rail support, arib on said rail support on each side of the rail with said rib servingdirectly as abutment for the rail foot, said holder being preferablyangularly shaped and provided with an arm engaging with its ends overthe spring through said slot.

16. Rail fastening according to claim 5, including a rail support,.a ribon said rail support on each side of the rail with said rib servingdirectly as abutment for the rail foot and for the spring, said ribbeing provided with a slot, said holder being preferably angularlyshaped and provided with an arm engaging with its ends over the spring,the end of the holder arm engaging over the spring and extending throughsaid slot being formed in a manner to prevent the moving back after itsinsertion.

17. Rail fastening according to claim 5, said plate spring tapering inthe longitudinal direction of the rail toward both ends and bearingpreferably at its largest cross-section against an abutment, ,the springbeing held by a head of a holder fastened directly in the woodensleeper;

18. Rail fastening according to claim 5, said plate spring tapering inthe longitudinal direction of the rail towards both ends and I 55bearing preferably at its largest cross-section MAX RUPING.

